Eye exerciser



April 20, 1943.

A. E. JACOBSON EYE EXERCISER Filed Aug. 14. 1942 3 Sheets-Shea?l l @mfg/aw@ ATTURNEYB April 20, 1943. A. E. JAcoBsoN 2,317,197

EYE EXERCISER Filed Aug. 14, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @a ily..

ATTORNEYS April 20, 1943. A. E. JACOBSON EYE EXERCI SER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 14, 1942 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 20, 1943 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE 2,317,197 EYE EXERCISER Arthur E. Jacobson, Alexandria, Minn. Application August 14, 1942, Serial No. 454,847 12 Claims. (Cl. 12S-76.5)

My invention relates to eye treatment, and has among its objects and `advantages the provision of a novel mechanical device for exercising the muscles of the eyes.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a face View of the device;

Figure 2 is an end View;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional rotor mechanism;

lFigure 4 is a detail view of a light flasher;

Figure 5 is a View taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3; Y

Figure 6 is a view of a flasher control;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 1.; and

. Figure 9 is a sectional View line 9 9 of Figure 3.

View of a taken along the In the embodiment selected for illustration, I .Y

make use of a stator or frame I0 hingedly connected at i2 with a supporting base I4. The frame l0 may be stamped from sheet metal and is formed with a circular track I6 semicircular in cross section, as illustrated in Figure 8. rIhe frame may also be ,provided with a strengthening formation I8.

Inside the frame I0 is mounted a rotor unit 20 provided with three wheels 22 running in the track I6. one hundred and twenty degrees apart as is possible in the structure of the rotor. The rotor comprises two substantially semicircular housings 24 and 26, see Figure 3. Each housing includes two spaced side walls 28, an interconnecting pe ripheral wall and a straight wall 32 located between the walls 28 and secured thereto lby screws 34. The two straight walls 32 are spacedA apart in parallel relationship, and the two housings are xedly secured by straps 36 secured to the peripheral wallsl 26 by screws 33. Each strap is provided with a slot- 40 for one of the screws 38 so that the housings may be adjusted to different relatively spaced4 positions.v y

. Inside the housing 24 is mounted a spring motor 42 which supplies power for turning the rotor inside the frame l0. This motor comprises a spring 44 having one end xedly secured to a pin 46 anchored to the walls 28 and its other end iixedly secured winding shaft 48 is xedly secured a ratchet Wheel 50 adjacent one face of a sprocket 52 provided with a pivoted pawl 54 engageable with'l the ratchet wheel 50. The pawl isv -yieldingly These Wheels are spaced as close to into a unitary structure to a winding shaft 48. To the Y the walls 28.

spring.

Meshing with the sprocket 52 is a :smaller sprocket 58 iixedly secured to a friction wheel 60 engageable with one of the wheels 22 to impart rotation thereto for driving the rotor. The sprocket 58 and the friction wheel 66 are rota-tably carried by a support 62 into which an adjusting screw 64 is threaded for moving the friction wheel into and out of turning engagement with the Wheel 22. This screw is rotatably mounted in the straight wall 32 of the housing 24 but is restrained from relative longitudinal movement so that the friction wheel may be shifted toward and away from the wheel 22 through rotation of the screw.

IThe sprocket 52 meshes with a sprocket 66 mounted on a shaft 68 rotatably journaled in This sprocket is xedly connected with a larger sprocket 10 meshing with a sprocket 12 connected with a shaft 14 rotatably supported in a bushing 16 pressed into an opening in the straight wall 32. One end of the shaft 14 is fixedly secured to an insulative body 18, as by a pin 3i).v The insulative body 12 serves as a mount for a rotary lamp structure 62, which lamp structure rotates about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotor.

The rotor lamp structure 82 comprises two lamp sockets 84, see Figure 7, at the outer ends of the two arms 86 of the rotary lamp structure. Each of the arms 86 includes a conductor bar 86 having electrical engagement with the central contact of its respective lamp 9G. A square sleeve 92 electrically connects the two bars 88, which sleeve is secured to` a square pin 94 embedded in the insulative body 18.

Each conductor bar 88 also includes a second conductor bar 96 having electrical connection` with the conductor sleeve 8 on its respective lamp 9S, the socket 84 being in current conducting engagement with the conductor bar 96. An insulative body I0!) is positioned between both bars 83 and their respective conductor bars 96 and the parts secured into a unitary structure through tightening of setscrews 162. v

The two conductor bars 96 are electrically connected with a metallic band y|04 through which the pin 30 of Figure 3 is extended; Thus the;

pivoted to and latched in conductor bars 96 are electrically connected with the shaft 14, the bushing 16 and the housing 24. The wall 32 of the housing 25 is of insulating material and is provided with a bearing |06 for supporting the tapered end |08 on the body H0 iixedly attached to the square pin 94. On the body H are mounted two cross arms H2 and H4. The cross arm H4 lies on the cross arm H2, and the two arms are frictionally connected with thebody H0 to rotate therewith as a unit, but the bodies may be' adjusted to diierent relative angular positions when manually rotated on the body. Spaced insulative bodies i i6 are attached to the arm H2 andconductor bodies f H8 are attached to this arm between the bodies H6. The bodies H6 and H8 terminate in atplanes lying iiush with the arm H4. The insulative bodies H6 on opposite sides oithe body I0 are equally spaced from the axis of the body, Y

which is also true of the conductor bodies H8; 'A slidable Contact |20 is mounted on the wail 32 of the housing 25 for conducting engagement with the arms H2 and .||4. This conductor is slidably guided in a loop I 22 attached to the wall 32.2and is provided with a pin |24 to facilitate adjustment of the contact toward and away Y)from the axis of the body H0.V The contact is in electrical engagement with a sleeve |26 secured to the Wall 32, which sleeve is connected with a fixedfcontact |28. i `A resistance |30 is mounted on a ixed insulative body |32 attached to the wall 32, whichY resistance is engageable by a slide contactA |34 hai-- ing conducting engagement with the iixed contact |28. A pin |35 is attached to the slide con tact |34 to facilitate adjustment thereof.V .To one end ofthe resistance |30 is connected a resilient conductor |38 respectively engageable with one terminal of each dry cell 40, the other terminals of these cells being electrically connected with one wall 28 of the housing 26, as

l at |42.

l vMeshing with the sprocket 10 is asprocket |44 fixedly connected with Va larger sprocket |46, both of which are mounted on a shaft` |48 rotatably supported on one Wall 28 of the housing 24. The sprocket `meshes with ,asprocket |50' secured to a shaft |52, see Figure 5, rotatably journaled in the walls 28. `This shaft is split and separated at |54 to frictionally support aY shaft |56 having fan blades |53 attached thereto. Operation of the spring motor 42 imparts rotation to the shaft |52, and the speed of the motor may be regulated oy-adjusting the fan blades |53 to different angular positions. Thus the fan blades constitute an'air reaction governor for controlling the speed of the spring motor. An opening |60 provided in each of the walls 28 of the housing 24 for the free circulation of air. ReferringV to Figure 2, the-base |4 isV provided with an arm |62 having a series of openings |64 for selective reception of a bolt passing through an opening in a bar |58 attached to the frame l0. Normally the frame |0 is in the vertical position of Figure 2, but the frame may be different angular Ypositions with respect to the vertical.

' Two anges |10 are attached to the frame it Y for selective reception in slots |12 in a septumv |14.V `This septum is.provided With concavedv edges |15 conforming to the curvature ofthe frame I0 to have close fitting engagement therewith. The septum is so contoured as .to have different effective lengths when connected in its respective positions with the frame.

In operation, the lamps rotate as a xed unit through the space between the two walls 32. These lamps may be periodically ashed by adjusting the contact |20 to engage the conducting bodies H8. The lamps may be caused to burn continuously by shifting the contact |20 to a position near the body HD. The ash duration of the lamps is also controllable through shifting ofthe contact |20 toward vandgaway from the axis of the body H0.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an apparatus for assisting patients Vin exercising their extrinsic and intrinsic'muscles through the medium of the lights which move along predetermined paths, thereby stimulating monocular `z'abbduction, infra-duction, supra-duction, intra- Infra-duction or supra-duction may be increased or decreased for either or both eyes through tilting of the apparatus about the axis of the hinge |2. By removing the septum and employing one lamp only, both eyes may be' focused on the one moving or hashingV lamp to. develop. binocular coordination and fusion ofthe image.

Withoutfurther elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may,

by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim: Y 1. An eye exercisingdevice' comprisingY a circular track, a rotor guided by the track and'havmg a rotary driving means arranged in tractive Y engagement with said track, a motor carried by said rotor, a driving `connection between the motor and said means, lamps, aY support for said lampsvmounted for rotation on saidrotor about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation ofV Y the rotor, a driving connection between the motor and said support, an electric circuit connected with saidlamps, and a switch means connected in the circuit and carriedbyV said rotor and actu# ated'through rotationof-said support for inter#- mittently energizing the lamps.

2. The invention described in claim 1 wherein with afan for controlling.

said rotor is provided the speed of the rotor, and a driving connection between said fan and themotor. 3. Theinvention described in claim 1 wherein said motor comprises a windable spring means.

. 4. The invention described infclaim 1 wherein said rotary driving means comprises a wheel" frictionally engaging the track, a Yfrictlo'nfwheel driven by the motor, and means for Vmoving the 1 friction wheel ment with said inst-mentioned wheel. e

5. The invention described Vin claim 1- wherein there` isi interposed Y of saidlamp's. Y

into and out of .driving engage-- an adjustable resistance 'in-y said circuit to'vary `the illuminating*intensity* to impart rotation to the rotor, a motor carried by said rotor, a driving connection between the motor and means, a lamp, a support for said lamp mounted for rotation on the rotor about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotor, a driving connection between said motor and the support, an electric circuit including in part said rotor and the support for energizing the lamp, a switch means comprising a first contact carried by the rotor and connected in the circuit, and a second contact connected in the circuit and carried by the support for intermittently engaging the first contact through rotation of the support.

7. An eye exercising device comprising a circular track, a rotor guided by the track and having a rotor driving means coacting with the track to impart rotation to the rotor, a motor carried by said rotor, a driving connection between the motor and means, lamps, a support for said lamps mounted for'rotation on the rotor about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotor, a driving connection between said motor and the support, an electric circuit including in part said rotor and the support for energizing the lamps, a switch means comprising a rst contact carried by the rotor and connected in the circuit, and a second contact connected in the circuit and carried by the support through rotation of the support.

8. The invention described in claim 6 wherein there is provided a third contact on said support electrically engaging the second contact and adjustable relatively to the second contact about the axis of the support.

9. The invention described in claim 7 wherein there is provided a third contact on said support electrically engaging the second contact and adjustable relatively to the second contact about the axis of the support.

10. The invention described in claim '7 wherein there is provided a third contact on said support electrically .engaging the second contact and adjustable relatively to the second contact about for intermittently engaging the rst contact l the axis of the support, said third contact having insulated areas spaced one from the other and radially from the axis of the support to divide the third contact into a plurality of-contact areas, and said rst contact being movably mounted for adjustment toward and away from the axis of the support for selective engagement with said conducting areas.

11. The invention described in claim 7 wherein the axis of the support for selective engagement with said conducting areas, and a resistance interposed in said circuit and having a slide contact electrically engaging said rst contact.

12. The invention described in claim 7 Wherein there is provided a third contact on said support electrically engaging the second contact and adjustable relatively to the second contact about the axis of the support, said third contact having insulated areas spaced one from the other and radially from the axis of the support to divide the third contact into a plurality of contact areas, said first contact being movably mounted for adjustment toward and away from the axis of the support for selective engagement with said conducting areas, a resistance inter posed in said circuit and having a slide contact electrically engaging said iirst contact, said rotor comprising a rst housing enclosing said motor, a second housing electrically connected with the rst housing, said first housing being electrically connected with said switch means, said iirst housing and the second housing comprising in part said electric circuit, and an electric battery means enclosed in the second housing grounded theretoand connected with said resistance.

ARTHUR E. JACOBSO-N. 

